Question is how will all the useful things get their funding. There are also cases where you might not think of something as a "useful thing" until after it is in the discovery phase. Microwave ovens for instance, were based off of military research.

I don't see why people care about Facebook's legal battles anymore. It's not going to really change anything one way or another. Facebook wins, then there might be an appeal, if they lose there might be an appeal, and either way it's about money that none of us will ever see, and a decision that will not effect our lives in any way significant or insignificant.